


Between Worlds

by RuleOfRose300



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:35:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuleOfRose300/pseuds/RuleOfRose300
Summary: Alexander Croft had set his sights on the Lost Island that was ruled by an ancient Empress long ago but the unspeakable horrors that he and everyone will witness will change them into not only hardened survivors but blessed hero's with the will to never give up.





	1. Chapter 1

Hour I

Alexander let the sea drift him towards a white sandy beach and crawled on all floors a few paces to where a huge anchor lay before turning around to rest on his back where he coughed up more water with loud ringing in his ears the man turned on his right side to rest completely soaked and shivering from the cold.

Getting some of his strength back he was about to turn all the way around on all floors again only to lose consciousness _again_ by an unknown attacker who dragged his limp body off away somewhere.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Going in and out of it he heard water dripping in a cave it sounded like; heavy rope was tied around his ankles while the rest of his body is trapped in a cocoon-like sack that only left his arms entirely exposed before being strung up towards the ceiling by a pulley system and hung up there like a piece of meat.

Alexi came back to life once more only to find himself trapped again! The shivering brunette frantically looked around for a way down even trying to undo the thick binds that were keeping the sack closed despite them being too tight and cursed under his breath, turning his head to the left there were candles lit in a small altar of some kind with a drawing of a faceless woman that has a picture of a sun behind her head.

Keeping that in his mind Alexander swung over to a same cocoon next to him that held another prisoner but he/she is just nothing but a skeleton now meaning that they've been here for a lot longer then he is.

'I won't end up like them!'

The sack finally caught alight, the flames quickly burning it all the way through which released the skeleton that broke apart when it landed on a ledge that was destroyed so now he doesn't have anything to land on and with the flames licking the rope that bound his feet… it won't be pleasant at all. His screams of pain echoed throughout the cave when a steel spike punctured his thigh when he landed on it despite him trying to move out the way it was too late.

"W… WHAT THE HELL AHH!"

Alexander gritted his teeth so tight that he thought that they were going to break and shut his glistening eyes just as tight as the unimaginable pain coursed throughout Alexi's body and back into his bleeding thigh. With shaky hands the brunette held the long bloody spike in both hands, the barbs digging into his skin at the tight grip that he held it and with a pained groan used his strength to pull it out of his thigh.

Throwing it as far away from him as possible the man got on all floors once more to try to get a breather with his hands balled into fists before slowly and carefully standing up then limbed forward; brittle bones were crushed into powder underneath his boots however he fell down into even more of them when the pain became to much for him but he needs to get out of here so he walked on while holding on the side of the wall for support.

His heart pounded inside of his chest while bile was caught in his throat at the sight of one of his friends that's… dead, the blonde was strung up in a T-pose with lit candles surrounding her like a sacrifice with that damn drawing behind her. "Oh… my god Steph!"

Being careful of his wound Alexi limped over to the lifeless blonde with tears brimming down his dirty face for the loss of his friend and tried to look for a way to get her down from there even if it's useless.

She's gone and there was nothing that he can do.

Wiping his tears away he stood where he is for a minute to silently pay his respects to the fallen before continuing on. A torch mounted on the side of the wall illuminated the caves as well so he took it to light his way if the path ahead gets too dark.

Dirty glass bottles got knocked over when Alexander walked past them and made noise which made him freeze right where he was when his ears caught someone whispering and it scared the hell out of him but it's no wonder because this person has got so much junk lying around here. Using the torch he burned a sail that was holding a wall made of stuff together to unblock the path then continued on.

Shimmying in between an enclosed space the torch got extinguished by falling water that washed the dirt off his body at the same time; relighting it and looking up overhead there was yet again some cloth hanging up on a rafter that could burn another obstacle. The problem? As soon as it burns the red barrel that he's sure is filled with oil will make the whole room come down all around him.

Lighting it up the brunette was right but didn't dwell on it too long and as fast as he can crouched down to walk through the now-revealed passageway only to be pulled back by his bad leg and roughly turned around to face the attacker, the man's long, messy, greasy hair is dark brown with a matching tangled beard that stops at his lower chest.

"Help you?!"

"You're not helping me-get off ME!"

"Stop struggling!"

Alexi kept on trying his damndest to get the bastard off him but since he's got his bad leg pain shot through his body again; raising his good leg he kicked the assailant hard against the chest then scrambled inside of the small tunnel just as large boulders closed off the entrance and thankfully separated them from each other. Hissing in pain the brunette grabbed the torch off the ground and quickly moved in the other direction.

"Fucking Wanker, fuck!"

Water went up to his waist with the torch out ahead of him while that crazy man kept on saying {Come back} or {I'm trying to help you} but the brunette ignored them as he waged through the murky water only to lose his footing every few steps and coughed, every time he went under there was only pitch black.

Finally getting out of the tunnel Alexi groaned in annoyance when the fire got extinguished by yet another curtain of water and lo and behold there were more red barrels! Putting his Thinking Cap on if he can get some of the boxes that were floating towards them on fire then maybe he can finally leave. Passing through another curtain he dried the wood with one of his rolled up yellow elbow-length sleeves then relit it before walking over to a strange contraption.

It's a metal cage made to hold a person but it's front and parts were removed while it's being suspended in the air by three posts that he lit on fire to bring it down then jumped up onto it so the boxes can get into another cage that thankfully had it's back left alone. Setting them ablaze Alexander shoved himself against the cage which made them slide down the shoot and set the barrels on fire.

Quickly jumping down the brunette took cover as the blocked patch became uncovered however the whole den was once more coming down so he waged through the water as fast as he could.

A way out got blocked by falling rocks so he ran to another way out that was too blocked while the ground below him crumbled and slid down a slope before continuing to run and jumping over two gaps even if they sent pain to his injured leg however, that same man made the brunette fall down on the ground and roughly turned Alexander around once more.

"LET GO YOU GIT!" Alexander snearled in rage as he got out of the man's grip for the second time and looked back at him just in time to see a large boulder come crashing down on his head with a scream leaving his chapped lips.

Getting him off his back for good.

Looking ahead, there's a huge gap that housed a never-ending dark abyss. Taking the leap-of-faith he made it much to his shock only to slide down because of water that rained down from holes in the ceiling, hanging on the edge for dear life the torch that was in Alexi's hand fell into the abyss and, not wanting to fall into it he pulled himself up then scrambled up the slope.

Adrenaline ran through his veins as he dodged two rocks that were threatening to crush his skull like the last one.

The bright light at the end of the tunnel got smaller and smaller...

≿—- ❈ —-≾

His nostrils breathed in fresh, cool air for the first time deepily and silently savored it while the brunette can truly rest for a moment.

Bloody, mud-encrusted, hurting, he just felt horrible.

Standing up, he limped over the outlook to see many different old ships stranded on this island just as they were.

'So many poor souls lost.'

Continuing on he rested against a tree but what he saw down below the shore filled him with hope! It was a lifeboat however even though it's empty it means that some of the crew survived and are somewhere around here he just has to find them. A fallen tree is the only way Alexander could crossover; testing to make sure that it's steady Alexander carefully made his way across.

Jumping across another gap he came upon a partly destroyed World War 2 bomber plane, his favorite kind dangling from a cliff, getting closer to it the brunette jumped up onto it just as the left wing gave way then climbed frantically, Tucking his knees up to his chest he bent down then jumped up to reach a ledge that was out of reach and kept going.

The right wing broke just a tiny bit as he hurried along only to let go and land on the ground hard with a grunt; dodging the wing that nearly came crashing down on top of his head while praying silently in his mind to whatever Deity was listening for not to give him anymore surprises just for today.

Using the wall as support Alexi made his way around the corner to see a makeshift campsite with items scattering the wet ground.

"Izumi! Roth! Jonah!"

No answer. Just the light rain and thunder are the only ones keeping him company.

Shaking Izumi's lightweight black backpack there were things still inside of it, opening it he found her lighter, a black walkie-talkie and lastly her diary. Putting the lighter inside of his pocket of his dark green cargo pants while putting the walkie-talkie strapped to his belt behind him then put the backpack on.

Alexander was pleasantly surprised that it fit him given his size difference then went on his way.

The brunette sighed in annoyance at another slope that he had no choice but to slide down on however thankfully the place wasn't crumbling around him, crushing down under a rock that shielded him from the rain and came upon another campsite that appeared to be abandoned but not for long.

White puffy clouds came out of his mouth with every breath while his whole body shaked from the freezing cold as he tried to get the lighter working. "C-Come on, c-come on-f-finally!"

Moving the flame close to the timber he moved his hand back then did it again until that and the wooden sticks caught fire, blowing out the flame Alexander warmed his hands as the warmth took away the cold as well as trying his clothes in the process.

Taking off the backpack and lying down the brunette closed his eyes to try and get some sleep that he definitely deserved after all.

'Goodnight everyone… sweet dreams.'

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Izumi is a female character from way, way back in 2008 when Crystal first thought of the Reboot of the series called Tomb Raider Ascension that was to be more survival-horror based then the previous games with monsters and colossal giants until they scrapped the entire thing including Izumi who can control water.

But she will be in my version of the story because I think it would be interesting to give Alexi a baby sister who he can protect and care for.

I also got rid of Grim, Reyes, Alex, and Whitmen. Why? I think they were just too many characters who were either not too interesting or were just there for the plot.

Now in my version there will only be Roth, Izumi, and Jonah because I really wanted Alexander to feel truly alone here like in Ascension so I hope you guys really like it.

PS: The dead woman that Alexi mourns in the beginning is his best friend at University named Steph or Stephane who showed up in the Tomb Raider Crossroads trailer but got deleted in the final release for reasons unknown however I decided to keep her.

PSS: Originally the spike that stabs Lara was originally stabbed in her thigh not her stomach so I of course kept that the same as well.


	2. Chapter 2

“LET GO YOU GIT!”

“Stop struggling!”

“Oh… my god Steph!”

Nightmares plagued Alexander’s sleep although he was very surprised when he woke up in mid-day not the morning since Alexi is a morning person after all.

Feeling a little refreshed he moved his open palm in front of him to feel that there wasn’t anymore rain which he was very happy about and with the backpack in hand the brunette went deeper into the forest to search for food since the man didn’t eat or drink anything last night.

Making his hands into a bowl he gathered water from a stream and drank.

Alexi flinched when looking up to see another hanging dead body but unlike Steph he was here a while because the body’s starting to decompose ever so slowly; there was a bow made of several sticks held together by three white pads, one as a grip and two at the edges.

‘Poor soul.’

Crossing a fallen tree he held a branch for support he reached out a hand to grab the bow and tugged on it a few times to get the man’s body down only to fall with it, quickly getting back up he took the item off the dead while silently saying sorry in his mind then pulled the string back and it still works, good.

Unzipping the pack Alexander placed as much arrows inside of it as they would fit then quietly took one out when his ears heard a few deers running around the open area; readying the loaded bow he crouched down so he wouldn’t scare the animal then pulled the string back once more and aimed the sharp arrow head at the heart then let it fly. 

He got it!

Walking over to the wounded animal he waited until it stopped moving before plunging that same arrow into its belly and sliced it open while holding his nose closed as the guts and entrails poured out of it, he left them for the crows to eat. Washing the bloody off it and his hands he brought the food back to camp.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

As the meat was cooking Izumi’s walkie-talkie picked up Roth’s voice.

“Roth!”

“Alexander! Are you alright? Where are you?”

The brunette’s shaking hands clutched the walkie so tight that his knuckles turned white and the tears that he was holding in for so long had finally rained down his face like a waterfall as he told him what happened to Steph and that crazed man and also about his injury to his thigh.

“Oh, poor girl… Look Alexander I’m trapped here with damned wolves so I can’t go anywhere anytime soon.”

“I… Understand. I’ll keep my talkie on, bye Roth.”

Placing it back Alexi took the cooked food away from the fire and blew the white steam away a few times before taking a bite but quickly fanned his mouth when the meat burned his tongue then chewed thoroughly before swallowing and it tasted so divine plus it’s so tender that it fell off the bone.

‘I can’t cook like Jonah but this is good enough.’

Filling completely full, Alexander took out Izumi’s diary but felt bad that he’s snooping around her deepest thoughts; he knows that she wouldn’t mind it. A faint sound filled his ears as he put the diary away and went to investigate. There was a light coming from an open bunker that he didn’t see before so cautiously walked over to it while trying to see if anyones inside.

There was no one but there is another torch that had to be lit by someone and an old rusty ladder that led to somewhere, just as he was contemplating going down it a strong, gust of wind slammed the door closed that made him jump at the noise but rolled his eyes at how jumpy he’s being.

Down the rabbit hole he goes then.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Hopping off the ladder he landed in dirty water but that wasn’t what caught his attention, what did however were these strange white markings and wondered what they meant. He followed the music throughout water-filled hallways that were also filled with skulls that’s difficult to know if they were male or female and more markings and ducking underneath a fallen beam until he stepped on dry land again.

To the left of him are two shelves stacked with empty bottles that also littered the floor including beer cans and a berrier covered in flammable cloth while to his right is a metal piece leaning against the wall that said the words {No ONE Leaves} in white with a makeshift bed next to it as well as more skulls lining the wall.

Burning the barrier there were meat carcasses hanging on hooks and swinging slightly in the air, this is where the eerie music came from, an old gramophone and a pry-axe embedded inside of another carcass that was rotting with flies flying around it.

Holding the handle it took some tugging but he got it unstuck and used it on the locked door that was in front of him just to test it out. When it did the job he used it on the other door that was locked too then walked through it to the other side.

Fresh air touched his skin as he climbed another ladder and also… voices? Distinguishing the torch he silently crept closer to them and can make out Izumi’s voice with an older sounding man with her as well.

He moved along the wall then peered around the corner to see the 6-year-old sitting down on an old desk with her leg patched up no doubt by her powers over water that's always inside of the purple beaded water gourd bottle on the side of her hip.

“Onii-san, you're alive!”

The little girl quickly ran into his arms who flicked her forehead with a relieved smile on his lips and returned the flick then let her down; seeing how bad his thigh is the girl instantly told him to stay still while she uses her hands to bring out the bad blood that was going to infect him then uncorked the bottle to make the good water go into him before closing the bottle.

His face lit up every time she used her magic for healing and just using them whenever.

But his smile faded when the blond helped himself up by a crutch and introduced himself to the brunette and reached out a hand for a handshake, but from the get-go Alexander felt there was something… off about him.

Hesitantly he offered his hand for a shake.

“I’m a teacher by trade.”

Alexi faked a smile and sat down next to the fire while Izumi told the story of  _ Empress _ Himiko which he always enjoyed even though he heard it about oh… sixty times now. He closed his eyes only for a moment to rest but shot them back open when the girl’s screams echoed around the forest; Scrabbling to his feet he took out his bow and loaded it with an arrow, aiming it at the man’s head. “Let her GO!”

“We waited so long!”

Izumi tried to uncork her bottle but Mathias’ grip around her neck was too tight as he followed them down a flight of stairs, shooting the arrow it completely missed and hit a rock instead while the blond took her to who knows where. Quickly loading another one Alexander ran after them however his ankle got stuck in a bear-trap and they were nowhere to be found. 

He let out another scream of both pain and frustration because this is the second time that he’s been caught in something.

Howls of wolves made him stop trying to get out of the trap and look around to see that the bushes in front of him were rattling but he didn’t know which ones hid them. Readying his bow to the side he pulled back the string and waited.

One wolf.

Two wolves.

Three wolves.

Four wolves.

There are no more thankfully but now he hid to get out of the trap that he’s still in. Until the sound of Johna’s voice became his saving grace. “Jonah help! I’m stuck!”

The New Zealand man told him to move while he pointed his gun at the trigger and shot it to untrap him then wrapped an arm underneath his underarm to help him stand while the brunette told him that a man named Mathias kidnapped Izumi but doesn't know where.

“Look, after you’ve rested enough we’re going to look for them and Roth, okay?”

He nodded his head. “Hiki nō.”

They walked back to camp and sat down for some rest then after this. Finding the others.

As they were walking Alexander noticed a bundle made of a fish net with a small yellow crate inside, lighting a torch he burned the net and out fell the crate which had salvage in it so he can make his bow and axe better, breaking it open he put the salvage inside of his pocket for safe keeping then met up with Johna who looked at paintings of an Empress on a large gate that needs two people to open it.

“Look there, a picture of a Sun Empress. Hmm, must be ritualistic.”

Alexi reached out his fingers to touch the white paint and saw that it coated his finger tips; still fresh by those men no doubt about it.

Putting the axe’s handle-side inside the crank that was missing it’s handle he tried to push it but stopped when he heard it crack and took it out. Thinking of the salvage in his pocket he told the other to wait here while he gets more.

Finding more of these scattered about the area he spotted a Persimmon fruit tree and took the fruit inside of Izumi’s backpack for later; a shrine dedicated to the Empress with a large stone statue but it was missing her head that reminded him of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland who always said {Off with their Heads!}.

Going back to the camp he strengthened the pry axe as well as making a few adjustments to his bow then hurried back to Jonah to open the gate. Getting inside before it closed they walked up a long flight of stairs with lanterns lighting the way while they talked more.

The pair came upon another statue but unlike the last one this one still has her head attached.

“Look, the bowl, the candles why is she still being worshipped?”

“Aʻole maopopo iaʻu.”

They went even deeper inside the forest however Alexi stopped when he heard something move among the trees but it could have just been his imagination that is until he heard gunshots and quickly took out his bow with an arrow already loaded into it, now he realizes that he should have never left Jonah by himself and tried to find him only to be knocked down from behind and tied up while the man who did spoke Russian but didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Let go! JONAH! JONAH!”

No answer.

Alexander was roughly pulled up to his feet by Vladimir who held onto his arm tightly and moved the brunette away into a mountain temple it looks like with other members of the Endurance however, when he scanned them Jonah wasn’t there so he must have escaped. Smoke from the roaring fires around them made his skin glisten with sweat and soot clinged to his face, arms and neck.

One of the crew tried to escape but the Russian quickly took out his gun and shot him in the back of the head just as quick.

Killing that poor man instantly while the others used that opportunity to escape up towards the mountain.

Alexander held back tears as he felt his hands shaking behind him but he can’t look weak in front of Vladimir who backhanded him so hard that he fell to the ground with a loud thud and pulled the gun on him. “Round them up! Don’t you fucking move!”

When that bastard was out of sight Alexi crouched down to evade the other men, some who were welding flashlights, bows, and guns. God, it was like a game of Cat and Mouse and he of course is the Mouse; many more gunshots were heard as the rest of crew members were killed one by one.

He found a hiding place and stayed as quiet as he could be until one of the men shined his flashlight into his exact spot. 

Vladimir pointed his gun at Alexander. 

“Out!”

Having no other choice the brunette came out of is hiding spot and was immediately pinned against the wall and touched in a way that made him hate him even more but when he went put a hand in between his legs Alexander kneed him in his balls then clamped down on his earlobe hard before biting it off completely, he savored the screams when the bones and a hole were the only thing left of it.

Charging towards him they were both knocked to the ground as his gun bounced on the ground and away from him; Alexi went for it first only to have that monster’s hands wrapped around his neck in a chokehold that cut off his air-supply. Looking around he grabbed a piece of wood and smacked him in the temple then used that chance to grab the gun and pointed it at his head just as he was about to get close then pulled the trigger.

Blood and parts of his brain… it… was... everywhere.

Alexander couldn’t move. Couldn’t breath as he stared at Vladimir face to face who was lying right next to him with a bullet in his head and twitching violently and coughing up blood that stood between them until… nothing.

He was… gone.

Alexander slowly turned his head to look up into space with his mouth agape just lying there motionless, the flames burned his eyes and lapped at the sky. His heart pounded inside of his chest and he gasped for breath while turning to his side to throw up with his arm clutching his stomach as he shut his eyes tightly with a river of tears falling down the brunette’s blood-caked face.

Finishing that, he crawled away from the dead body then stared at his shaking, blood-stained hands that were still clutching the now empty gun then back at the body then back at the gun before throwing the weapon awa into one of the fires.

All he wanted to do is curl up into a ball and  _ die _ but he couldn't because he needs to save his friends so standing on shaking legs he took his bow back, took a deep breath and walked further up the mountain.

Never looking back at the first person that he ever took the life from.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

What a rollercoaster of a ride huh! If you all are wondering yes, Alexander will get more weapons but they will be more in line with Japanese ones minus ones for his bow and yes his thigh is completely healed thanks to Izumi’s abilities that we will see more of soon.

I want you all to see that Alexi will be affected by what he’s done and it will continue to bother him not like in the game where Lara will just shrug it off and kill as many Baddies/Opponents as possible I hope to tell it as best as I can.

I also used a tiny bit of both the game and the 2018 movie for when your boy attacks Vlad such as using the chokehold and hitting him in the head with something close by.

Here are some translations that the main characters say.

Onii-san: Big brother/Older brother.

Hiki nō: Okay.

Aʻole maopopo iaʻu: I don’t know.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is Hour III or chapter 3 of Alexi's journey to be the person that he has to be.
> 
> The outfit that he is wearing is of course the yellow top and dark green pants that Lara wears in some concept art of Tomb Raider Ascension minus the dual pistols of course.
> 
> For the weapons they are as follows.
> 
> Kunai blade with and without the iron wire.
> 
> The bow with normal/rope/fire/penetrating and explosive arrows.
> 
> Climbing axe.
> 
> Katana.
> 
> And of course the Dual pistols.
> 
> If I wanted Alexander Croft to have a voice it would be either Robert Pattinson, Daniel Radcliffe or Tom Hiddleston or hell, even Colin Morgan since he does a pretty good British impression in the TV show Merlin.

Hour III

Alexander, still extremely shaken by what happened, ran over an almost collapsed bridge and up more stairs but stopped when he saw something twinkling in the light, looking at it curiously he bent down to pick it up and examine it closely.

It looks like a Kunai blade, a very sharp one at that, that's attached by a silver iron wire and a spring-operated wheel that will make it easier to rapidly extend or retract the wire; however he can also use the blade just by itself and put the wheel on his right arm but he hopes that he won't have to use it.

Walking up to an open gate, yet another man got killed and fell behind two large boxes that can be used as a barrier so he quickly made use of it.

Taking the blade in his hand he came out of cover then threw it and watched as it attached itself to the man's neck and while he was busy trying to take it out the brunette yanked out the blade hard and the man's head came clean off, crimson blood squirted out of the headless body like a fountain which coated the other enemy in blood before the other finally fell on the floor.

Gone.

Wasting no time, Alexander threw the kunai again but this time around his waist then yanked it out and watched as the man's torso got cut in half, his breathing became uneven again as he was forced to walk next to the carnage that he created only to fall to his knees dry heaving while there was loud ringing in his ears that he covered with shaky, dried bloody hands to try to drown it out.

"HE'S IN THERE!"

"SET IT ON FIRE!"

"YOUR GONNA DIE IN THERE!"

The building that he took refuge in had been set on fire; he kept on coughing when the smoke filled his lungs while he tried to find a way out. Shielding his mouth with an arm, Alexander bent down and used both legs to kick a small crawl space that was being blocked by pieces of wood then quickly crawled through it to the outside once more.

"Is he dead?" One of them spoke.

"Man I don't fucking know!" The other man angrily spoke to his brother then he said that the building is completely engulfed in flames so Alexi has to be but he's very much alive.

Getting away from that place the brunette took out his bow then an arrow and got behind cover when another one of those thugs was blocking his path, he steadied his breathing while pulling the string back and took aim. This time, hitting him in the head, the arrow cracking through his skull first then his brain and out through the other side of his skull as he fell down to where he is.

The ringing was still there and of course the regret but somehow… if he's going to be a killer then he has to be _stone cold_.

Pulling himself up from the ledge he stored more arrows inside of his backpack then jumped over to where another ledge is and carefully shimmied his way across before climbing up only to see more of the thugs talking about some of his crew members were thrown into some Pit for days, starving and pissing out blood.

But hopefully Jonah isn't one of them.

Taking out the blade, Alexander waited until the one closest to him got even closer then quietly sneaked up on him and clamped a hand over his mouth before cutting his throat and let him fall then threw it at the other one but before it connected completely he yanked it out to where the thugs head came off instantly and cleanly.

"Is everything okay down there?"

One of them brought down a ladder and started to climb down it but not for long as he just like his brothers were dead.

He bent down to search through their pockets for anymore salvage

The ringing finally stopped and the brunette just climbed up the ladder although the gult, the regret, will always be buried deep inside of him.

"Alexander, are you there?"

He couldn't contain the happiness in his voice when Roth came through. "Roth!"

"Boy, it's good to hear your voice. I saw the smoke coming from the old ruins, are you okay?"

Alexi bit his bottom lip at the question. He can't tell him that he killed those men because he's going to be put inside the looney bin.

"I… I had to kill some of them…"

Just talking about it made him want to throw up all over again. "That can't have been easy."

He stopped to look at the lightning that raged over the dark skies, shaking his head. He continued to climb up the ladder and told Roth that he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

The old man understood and promised not to bring it up again.

"You just do whatever it takes to get to me Alexander,"

Alexi turned off his walkie-talkie just in case if anything happens then used his hearing to find a small waterfall where he cleaned his face, neck and hands before taking a drink and ate some of the fruit that he collected then wrote in Izumi's diary using both the moon's light and the flames as a light source then made his bow into a recurve one with ornate designs onto it with colorful beads held by strings on the ends of it that gently blew in the air.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Gunshots could be heard in the distance and for a moment the brunette thought that it's one of _them_ until his mentor and father figure's shouts came out with it. Running towards it he saw him shooting at wolves who chewed his left ankle down to the bone but just like the man that he is kept on fighting until the last wolf was down.

Alexi ran over to him and gave him a hug but also made sure to not mess up his ankle then carefully helped him sit down to rest. "Have you heard from Jonah?" He shook his head.

"Nothing."

Alexander became surprised when Roth got up and the man argued that the wolves took his food pack with the transmitter from the lifeboats in it and if they don't get that back then they will never get off this island but the brunette argued back.

"Yeah, but you need… you need bandages, morphine, antiseptic…!"

"Also in the pack."

He put both hands on his hips cursing, knowing that the other man is right. "Exactly, here, help me."

Putting his left arm underneath him they started to follow the wolf tracks until everything around him spinned out of control and his blue eyes rolled in the back of his head as he lost consciousness, the brunette held the back of Roth's head so he wouldn't hit it on the ground and quickly moved him out of the rain.

Placing him gently on the wooden floor next to the warm fire Alexander checked for a pulse and became relieved when he was still alive. Getting up he followed the wolf tracks, climbing up and jumping over the rooftops. He realized that these ruins were from the Kamakura Period but didn't marvul at them too long and continued the journey to the wolf's den.

The loud beeping of the transmitter echoed throughout the skeleton filled cave and he jumped at some of the shadows that the wolf is creating, taking his backpack off he placed the pack inside then walked away from the large mound of bones. Suddenly he was knocked to his feet when he animal that was stalking him had come up behind him and grabbed his ankle in it's sharp teeth.

Kicking it away he stabbed his kunai into the side of its neck but even when the wound is staining its black mangy fur the wolf didn't stop so he kept on stabbing the animal over and over again until the final blow went straight into its heart, pushing the now dead wolf off of him with a grunt Alexander walked out of the cave and used the zipline to get down quicker with both hands and legs tucked under to go faster.

Racing over to the campsite Alexander opened up the white colored metal medikit and got to work on Roth's leg, first he cleaned the wound then poured alcohol on a sewing needle with black thread and very delicately patched up his wound then wrapped it with gauze and bandages.

Now for his own leg since Izumi had taken the bad blood to make it right all he needs to do is stitch it up.

Coating a fresh needle in alcohol and braced himself as the needle passed through skin in a zigzag pattern as the wound finally closed then after wiping the sweat away from his forehead he wrapped it in clean fresh gauze and bandages then tried to get some sleep.

He might have gone to sleep for a couple of minutes where the rain had stopped until the old man woke up; helping him lean against some stuff and sat next to him as they talked for a while.

But what the brunette did not believe was that he was _that_ kind of _Croft._ "Sure you are. You just don't know it yet."

Roth gave him his red climbing axe with an encouraging smile that he used as motivation to continue.

Gripping the axe he stood up while discarding the old one and walked outside into the unknown once more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I won't be adding the collectibles and relics because that will slow down the pace I think and no I won't add the tombs either because those were a J.O.K.E!

Hour IV

"You might want to give that axe a go on the rock wall over there first."

Alexander smiled at him. "Really? I hadn't noticed that!" He teased.

Roth teased him back then told him to get a move on which he did. Putting the blade into the rock he began his climb up even further than ever before.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

_**Should we head back up to the bunker?!** _

_**Nah, let's wait out the storm!** _

_**Got it!** _

_**Stay alert!** _

_**Let's move inside.** _

Pulling himself up Alexander took out his bow but made sure to listen in to the thug's banter carefully. The key? Why would Mathias need… fucking bastard, no wonder why he took Izumi! That's another reason to get his baby sister back.

Pulling back the string he killed one then loaded another then one last one until the area was safe again; hopping over to one of the wooden buildings he moved back a little bit when a rooster ran past him with his wings flapping wildly in the air which made him laugh a little bit.

Massaging his arms he walked across the long bridge but felt it break apart so breaking into another sprint he took one more leap of faith and held onto his axe for dear life! Being thankful that the rock wall isn't slippery thanks to the wind and rain.

"Alexander… are you there?"

Placing both hands on his knees he took a breather before answering Jonah. "Jonah, you're alright!" The cook let out a sigh of relief at hearing the brunette's voice.

"It's good to hear your voice Little Sparrow, I'm still on Izumi's trail."

"I'm going to try and send an SOS from an old radio tower up here. Any tips?"

Thinking for a moment. He answered.

"You're gonna need to find a communications console, might look like a bunch of old switchboards."

"Okay… I'll let you know when I find it."

Putting the walkie-talkie away Alexi slid down the zipline however as soon as he landed more enemies were ready to attack him at any cost; throwing and yanking out the blade Alexander shoved the last one away from him cut his stomach open and watched as the man's guts and innards came pouring out before dying just like the rest of them.

Some of the rain water created a trail that led inside of a cave with barrels lining one of the walls and they were covered in ivy so he ignored those and used a little bit of fire from the lighter to create so light. Putting it out, he squeezed through a tight space and used the metal barrel that was on fire to see scraps of metal everywhere and even an old car so this place must be a junkyard.

He can also see a blinking red light from atop the tower in the distance so he's getting close.

Using the fire to warm himself up from the cold Alexi wrote more notes inside of his diary before continuing on.

_**It's freezing out here!** _

_**You'll get used to it. It's even colder up by the radio tower.** _

_**The weather on this island is crazy.** _

_**Everything about this island is crazy, brother.** _

"Hey! Get that damned gun off me!"

There were glass and broken bottles everywhere so Alexander must be careful, silently cutting the man's throat the brunette killed more of them all the while evading the spotlight that went back and forth hoping to catch a glimpse of him but he won't allow it.

Sneaking inside of the bunker he peered round the corner to see one of them alone cutting a piece of metal; using the bow this time Alexander managed to choke him to death despite him struggling against it then walked up the stairs then once more took them out. Jumping over a gap and climbing up a yellow colored ladder to the top.

Several strands of silver barbed wire lined the sides of the railing but as long as he does not touch them then it'll be fine. Climbing up another ladder to the highest point Alexi pointed out to himself that this bunker is from the World War 2 era and Japanese.

Sliding down yet another zipline Alexander fell into water that's freezing cold, wading through the water he heard voices from somewhere and tried to warm himself up quickly if he wanted to face them. Feeling warm enough the brunette found another message written on the lower right side of the pipes in white that once again said {No ONE Leaves} with a door on the side of him that had the lock broken so he can't open it.

But there is a small crawl space that's being blocked by steam so using his axe he turned the red valve then quickly crawled through the space just as the steam came back on.

Peering around the open door there were two thugs having a conversation and placed in the middle of them is a red barrel completely filled with fuel; loading an arrow he shot it and a small but loud explosion happened that killed the pair easily.

There were other rooms but they contained mostly junk so he didn't even bother.

Going up the stairs, a thug came down from the ceiling and ran towards the hero, surprising Alexander who almost got stabbed by his machete and quickly dodged while throwing his blade at the thugs feet, tying them together then pulled on the wire which sliced them clean off and it wasn't long before he died from blood loss.

The path ahead is blocked off by huge amounts of debris so taking a look around he spotted an opening leading to another room and jumped up then squeezed inside the opening. Once he was on the other side there were small lanterns scattered about on the floor and another opening with another red valve on the other side of it.

But as soon as he turned it gas filled the room and if that wasn't enough a thug came running to the other side of the paned glass window shooting at it and when that didn't work he used the butt of his machine gun instead.

"You're gonna die Outsider!"

Covering his mouth Alexander coughed as he went back the way he went and grabbing one of the lanterns Alexi chucked it over the opening and created an even bigger explosion that destroyed more of the base. The man that tried to kill him became trapped in rubble and injured but still being able to speak, bleeding and clearly in pain the brunette almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

"HE'S COMING!"

Fuck, as soon as he shouted that out the dark room that Alexander was in lit up and nearly blinded him as more enemies came into view, quickly ducking undercover Alexander shot an arrow into a red barrel that killed some of them and evaded their attacks while picking them off one by one.

Heading inside one of the empty rooms there were more words written on the walls. 'Father Mathias, will set us free… from what? This island?'

Now he knows what these people call themselves, the Solarii Brotherhood. Making his way through the base he found the console covered in orange leafs, brushing them away he tried to turn it on but since it hasn't been used in such a long time it's broken... of course it is.

He placed both hands on the machine and sighed in annoyance.

'Seriously!?'

Talking to Jonah did help but now there's more climbing to do and the brunette wasn't looking forward to it, taking off his bow Alexi bent down and moved through the opening but retreated his hand in pain with a hiss when the orange steam pipes that were working hurt it; blowing onto the wound he crouched walked underneath it then carefully moved up to shimmy along them while being very careful to not touch the white hot steam coming out of some of them.

"That bloody tower better worth it after all this!"

Crouching down low once more he used his feet to kick at a metal grate that led outside, pushing up against it, it finally gave way but when he looked around everything including the mountains overhead were snowing with the sun completely out. So, Empress Himiko can do more than just use storms and lightning? Very strange indeed.

Alexander didn't realize just how tired he was until he rested against the railing and took some time to get his mind clear. How long has he been here? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? He lost track of time in this place. It's a wonder that he isn't insane yet.

He laughed at that thought because maybe he is insane but just doesn't want to admit it.

'I can't unravel myself, even the truth is in a freeze.'

Breakable, unbreakable.

Insane, sane.

Standing up; the brunette walked down the stairs and over a bridge that's partly destroyed in the middle so he had to use a beam to get across however as soon as he was on the other side a member of the Solarii grabbed his ankles and tried to throw him off the edge of it but he put up a fight and with all his strength kicked _him_ off instead.

His screams echoing throughout the area, alerting the other brothers to the brunette's location but just like before Alexi took them out with ease even the big one with an arrow shoved through his throat that Alexi roughly pulled out hard.

Throwing it away, he wiped their blood off his face before going inside the building and up on the roof where a zipline was the only way to the tower, jumping up to it with his legs tucked up and the line took his weight as he moved along but made sure not to look down at the same time.

Letting go he began to long climb to the top.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One thing that really bugged me about the game is that they keep on calling Himiko a Queen when she should really be called EMPRESS!
> 
> Though she shares the same responsibilities as a European Queen, those two titles are very different from each other so now I will refer to her as Empress Himiko not Queen Himiko.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> Alexander Croft kou kanaka koa! Alexander Croft you're my hero!
> 
> Dare no hamasen: No one leaves.

Hour V

As Alexander was climbing the second ladder a flock of birds flew overhead, startling him. Moving up he told himself to not look down as he reached out a hand for a piece of a metal bar. Finally! Opening the panel he sat the talkie on top of it and moved the controls in the order that Jonah told him to.

"Mayday, mayday, this is Alexander Croft of the Endurance. We are stranded on an island in the Dragon's Triangle and we need help and medical supplies. Please respond."

When the pilot didn't answer he gripped the transmitter and tried again. "Mayday, mayday, this is Alexander Croft of the Endurance…"

"This is aircraft N177A."

He let out a big sigh of relief with a smile while looking up at the sky and silently thanking whichever God was listening up there, it's like an enormous weight got removed from his shoulders.

"We've got your approximate position, but we could sure use a visual."

"I'll figure something out."

"Be there soon, out."

Jonah let out a loud cry of victory that reached the heavens. "Alexander Croft kou kanaka koa!"

He made his way down while figuring out a way to get a signal, heading south there were fuel tanks and a warehouse with the only out blocked by a sturdy gate; turning the valve fuel leaked out onto the ground and he originally wanted to use a torch but there were none so he went inside the warehouse to find animal fat, and feathers. Getting an idea, Alexander used both the feathers and animal fat with one of his own arrows.

Lighting the arrow tip on fire he created fire arrows.

Taking more fat and feathers with him for later then went back outside. Throwing the lit arrow in the fuel the tank caught on fire and created a large explosion that caught the plane's sight.

"Dare no hamasen."

Out of nowhere a storm appeared and surrounded the plane! A large bolt of lightning hit it and then another until the whole thing got caught on fire.

And it was heading straight for him.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Turning on his heel he ran in the opposite direction and jumped down onto a mudslide with a scream while swerving out of the now destroyed plane's way. Covering his face he crashed through a wall and skidded along the floor, almost losing his grip as he dangled over the edge.

Regaining his grip he pulled himself up but with the plane fast approaching he didn't want to waste any time; jumping over to another platform he looked as the wreckage went over the edge.

Coughing three times into his fingerless-gloved hand the brunette got on all floors to catch his breath then slowly stood up. "HELP! HELP!"

One of the pilots made it out just in time but landed some ways away from the brunette. In the distance thunder darkened the sky but he ignored it and saw an elevated platform with a hanging cloth banner that he can use like a trapeze.

Jumping towards it Alexi swung then jumped across to the other side of a ruined building that, as soon as he landed on it, it started to fall apart.

Running to the other side he jumped and swung onto another banner until he made one last up onto safer ground; gunshots rang out through the mountain side by the pilot who killed several Solarii members except for one who had a full metal shield in front of him for protection and knocked the gun out of his hand.

Then with the poor man now disarmed, the thug shoved his machete through his gut; killing him instantly.

"Alexander, are you there?"

Alexander quickly turned his walkie-talkie off but it was too late for the burly man noticed him and was coming straight for him!

When he made the move to cut him in half the brunette dodged and sliced his neck wide open with his Kunai blade while that man's blood splashed onto his dirty shirt and face.

He died in a few minutes.

Wiping the blood out of his eyes and face he walked past the dead bodies but made sure to mourn the dead pilot for a moment then made his way into a rock hallway where Roth and him had a brief conversation. "Alright… I'm on my way."

Spotting a little alcove that carried salvage he smashed the crate open then pocketed the items before making his way up some stone steps… right into a trap that hung him upside down.

You know at this point he doesn't care anymore and with an annoyed growl he used his blade to kill three members then swinging himself upright he cut the rope to the snare trap and quickly scrambled for cover. Finding thick white rope he wrapped one of his arrow fletchings with it then launched it into a beam that also had rope wrapped around it.

And pulled which brought the whole structure down along with the enemy that was shooting at him but not anymore then loaded another arrow to pick off the men until there were none left.

Shooting another rope arrow he pulled a hanging box closer to him so he can climb it and hopped over a small gap and onto the house then made a right into an open space where an archer post stood with a shinto gate located on the other side of a broken bridge.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Walking through the now-open door he lit his lighter inside of the dark hollow cave. Broken pieces of wood littered some of the tight space and another mudslide that he slid down with fresh air and sunlight greeting the other side.

"I'm really happy you moved."

Roth who now had a crutch to support himself wrapped an arm around him as they gazed down into the village together. "So am I Boy." An explosion from the plane made Alexander all the more guilty so Roth tried to reassure him that they'll find another way off this island but their banter was interrupted by the other pilot who sent out an SOS.

"I got badly hurt when I landed and need urgent aid! Is anyone there?"

"Bugger, he can't hear me. I have to get to him."

Roth refused but Alexander also refused to just let an injured man get more hurt especially when there's those thugs running around which quickly turned into an argument that the brunette did not want to waste time on so he silenced his mentor then sild down the rope bridge into the lower levels.


	6. Chapter 6

Hour VI

The smell of rotting corpses and blood filled the now-awoken Alexander's nose while his wrists were tied with strong rope that looped around a black hook.

Several decaying bodys were hung upside down by rope wrapped around their ankles and their wrists were tied behind their backs with more rope.

Finding no other way out of his binds he swung his legs back then forward again and again until he was in a ball-like form then pulled against them until he escaped.

He fell to the floor with a thud and a grunt that left him dazed.

Holding the right side of his throbbing head the brunette looked towards the door that had sunlight shining through the wooden bars with a large heavy metal gate placed so that no one could escape.

Turning to the left Alexander sat on his knees but moved back a little bit when the fresh dead boy of Jessop lay among the piles of decaying bodies and covered his nose so he wouldn't have to smell them anymore. The sound of animalistic growling diverted his attention back to the locked gate.

A black silhouette of a large hulking figure passed the bars which made the brunette crouch low and crouch walk inside of a crack in the stone wall that was filled with skeletal remains and more blood, he stopped to turn round and hugged the wall tightly when a hulking Oni dressed in Samurai armor walked inside of the bloody room.

His great club scraped against the stone floor with sparks forming every time he tugged it along.

Alexander continued to move until he lost his footing and fell onto a small pile of bones that broke his fall.

Standing up he shielded his eyes from the sands swirling around him and moved through the corridor with even more bodies lay who were dressed in World War 1 uniforms, some littered the ground while some were hanging from the ceiling and some were pierced on spikes.

Uphead is a wooden barricade made of wood, barbed wire and spikes.

Small grenades were clenched in a dead soldier's cold hands which he took while saying sorry and taped one of them to one arrow then pulled back the string and let the arrow go which destroyed the barricade.

Passing through it there were more Solarii talking but the brunette was thankful that they were somewhere up above him and not down here. Once they left he took off his backpack and placed it on the ground to take out some fruit since he hasn't eaten in a while. Putting it back on he jumped up and over an opening in the wall that contained a tomb but not just any tomb this one had Empress Himiko inside!

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Looking at the carvings on the stone sarcophagus it just confirmed everything even more and walked up to the painted murals, he examined them one by one to find out her story of how she chose her successor.

"There!"

"Take him!"

Taking cover, he picked off the Solarii one by one until there were none left but the sounds of an inhuman roar made him look up to a large hole in the monastery's roof where the men just came in and saw that same monster killing another member. 'What the hell is that thing?'

Once it was safe Alexander made use of more rope arrows by using the large bell hanging from the ceiling to break open the barred gate and crouched walked through the small tunnel beyond it.

_**Hey! I found a way out down here!** _

_**But the man… we gotta find him.** _

_**The Guardians can have him. I'm getting the hell out of here now!** _

_**Goddamn it… okay… okay wait! Help us open the gate.** _

Another loud inhumane roar caught the thug's ears and being the coward that he is, he left his two comrades behind.

_**Shit… Shit… they're here!** _

_**Hey, hey! What's going on? Come back!** _

_**Don't leave us, you coward! Come back!** _

The brunette had never been so glad that it wasn't him on the other side of those blocked gates.

Using another arrow he blew one more barricade open and outside of the monastery and into extremely strong gusts of air that blew sand, dust and pieces of broken wood about and walked along a rickety platform which quickly collapsed from underneath his feet but he managed to grab hold of the ledge and pulled himself up onto it.

He shimmed along it carefully with both of his hands hugging the wall and onwards, bracing himself he jumped over to another platform then to another one that's hanging down like a swing and climbed up just as the planks were falling apart but not wanting to take any chances he climbed over a hole in the wall.

And flew straight into the cuckoo's nest.

"Look out… he's here!"

"Hey! Man! Don't shoot. Let's be friends."

There was no way in hell that Alexander would do that since they took his baby sister away and glared daggers at the members. "The guardians will kill us all for trespassing."

He asked who these guardians were but instead it turned into a full-on fight that he's determined to win. Taking out an arrow Alexander thrusted it into the man's knee and when he's down he swung his axe on top of his head which cracked his skull and stabbed his brain.

Then, with a little bit of a struggle the brunette wretched the axe free with a kick to the thugs stomach that pushed him away from him a few feet and on the sand-covered floor only to face another one who knocked Alexander to the floor and raise his sword for the killing blow but the brunette blocked it and kicked him from behind before finishing him off.

Getting on the second floor he examined his surroundings up above his head is a large intricate bell hanging from the ceiling and a rope-wrapped clapper which was probably once used to ring the bell. There are also 2 cranks that still work to open the shutters at the corners of the room. There are cracked sections in the beams supporting the ceiling and therefore the bell.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Opening the left shutter the winds blew furiously, swinging the bell clapper wildly in the right direction, and using another rope arrow the clapper slammed into that beam then repeated it with the last one; opening the wayout but at the cost of the monastery breaking apart around him.

Because of how strong the wind is he slid through the gate and into another part of the monastery that was, unfortunately, overrun by Oni who were attacking more of the Solarii; he sprinted in the other direction. He jumped over a gap and continued to run then jumped over to a pole, swung on it and over then jumped over another gap in the floor.

The whole hallway turned so now the wall became the new floor, quickly regaining his footing Alexander landed onto a narrow wooden bridge that spanned the chasm below but it collapsed sending Alexander down a steep tunnel.

Readying his bow he took out an exploding arrow to destroy the twin barricades.

The brunette slid down the tunnel from the chasm and into a subterranean pool where he resurfaced with a gasp and a few coughs that flung the salty water from his mouth, it cleansed him of the dirt, grim and dried blood.

Climbing on the small island a few feet away Alexi slowly with his remaining strength turned around so he was lying down on his back to rest, completely exhausted from the whole thing.

{Just… let me rest.}

Turning on his side Alexander closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take him while using the drops of water around like a lullaby.

Sleep tight little angel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instead of having Alexander going into the Shantytown I wanted him to be inside of one of the multiplayer levels called the Meadow because it'll be too long to write although he doesn't stay in the meadow for long though.

Hour VII

"Hello? Hello?"

The voice of Izumi brought him out of sleep.

Reaching for the walkie-talkie he spoke to the 6-year-old who, knowing that she's alright gave him hope. "My gourd is halfway full. Onii-san, I'm scared!"

"Izumi, I promise I will save you… I promise."

And he meant every word.

Telling her to hide for now he spoke with Roth who was heading down to the palace where Jonah and Izumi were being held. Placing the talkie back to where it belonged then walked outside to the afternoon sun that greeted the man who welcomed it but didn't dilly-dally for too long because he had a job to do.

Jumping over a bridge and walking along the patch he quickly ducked behind a stone wall and loaded an arrow when three members were blocking his path back to the mountain village, pulling back the string he shot one in the head then killed the remaining two but realized that there were three arrows left in the backpack so he hoped that the bodies will have more.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Jumping over another gap he searched through them and found five more; landing inside of a ruined building he peered over the edge to see an outline of something but he's too far away to make out what it is.

Using the axe to slide down the rope he crashed through the roof of a hut but almost went over the ledge that he barely hung onto. As soon as he regained his grip Alexi stayed where he was when footsteps came closer and closer, he pressed his cheek against the cold rock and held his breath and prayed that the Solarii member won't find him.

Alexander breathed out again when the footsteps retreated.

Looking around just in case he slowly pulled himself up and silently took out his bow then loaded an arrow before letting it go, it smashed open the lantern and caught the fuel on fire that killed two opponents instantly while he took out the other one with his blade and ended even more of their lives in blood.

The brunette maurward his way through the raging waterfalls and frantically held onto a wooden pole then moved as far as he can towards another one before grabbing on that one to until it came loose.

He raised his head out only to be pushed back in the water as he was being pulled along the harsh riverbank, moss-covered rocks scraped both his arms and hands as he tried to resurface again. "No!" Alexander lost his grip on a sturdy, solid piece of rock and was pulled under again but thankfully he was able to resurface just as fast while looking at a downed plane on the other side of the falls.

Alexander fell onto the glass, he looked at himself. He was bruised all around and quickly realized that the glass under him was breaking. He tried to get up but that only made the glass only crack more. Feeling helpless, he looked up and saw a parachute hanging from the pilot seat; he slowly reached his hand towards it, then looked back and saw the glass cracking even more.

He grabbed it and yanked on it but it fell out of his hand and landed on his stomach. The brunette quickly moved it to his back but before he could even think the glass broke. He was falling fast and without thinking he immediately yanked the cord but it ripped off. Alexander felt his stomach lurch as he spun around and kept on free-falling.

All he wanted was to be safe.

He desperately tried to find a backup cord and yanked it as hard as he could which worked thankfully.

The brunette suddenly found himself dodging trees that slowed the landing quite a bit until his feet touched solid ground again. The brown fabric created a cocoon around him as he took off the parachute and shielded him away from the sun but he took it off all the same then made sure that there was no one around before getting up.

He moved through the thick forest until it opened up into a beautiful meadow that was left untouched by Himiko by the Michelangelo roses that bloomed all around him and it brought a smile to his face with it's sweet lemony fragrance and its vibrantly saturated golden petals.

Alexi carefully cut one of them and placed it inside of his pocket so he could give it to Izumi then continued on his way to the palace but the other side of the mountain has another rope bridge which is the only way to cross the chasm.

"Hey, come on, there he is! Cut the line!"

"I'm on it!"

Moving along it faster he was again half-way there until the thug cut the line and sent the brunette smacking into the rock once again but just like last time Alexander held onto the embedded axe for dear life; an arrow sent tiny sparks flying from where it was deeply embedded in the wall and nearly missed Alexander by an inch before another arrow was reloaded by the enemy but before he could let that one go a bullet to the head killed him instantly.

Then another that brought down the last one by none other than Roth who spoke through the walkie-talkie. "I've got you covered, Boy. Your clear to climb up"

'Thank god.'

Once he reached the top the flashing light from Roth's sniper rifle let him know that the old man was near and asked if he could cover for him again.

Checking out the bridge through the scope he has a clear shot until the palace wall. Scrambling up to a staircase he ran along the bridge then leaped to a ledge and pulled himself up then made his way inside of another building. He crouched between the gap and overheard Mathais's men spouting nonsense and tried to get in a bit closer until one of them spotted him but just like the other two Roth took care of him.

And the plank that he was on broke apart but he held onto a ledge thankfully and moved right before pulling himself up on the beam then jumped over to another one and up towards another ledge where Roth picked off more men.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

"ALEXANDER, LOOK OUT!"

The brunette was put in a chokehold that caught him off guard however, thinking on his feet Alexi elbowed the attackers side with a sniper shot that sent them both over but unlike him Alexander survived it. Quickly moving up the ladder he ran and jumped over to a metal roof then over another one where he slid down towards one more and over to a wooden platform.

While trying to avoid getting shot at.

Hooking onto the rock wall he made his way inside the Solarii Stronghold.

"Roth, I'm heading inside."

Still the old man was unsure. "Are you sure about this Alexander?"

The brunette made another promise that he will keep.

"I'll get them back. I'll come back… I promise"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to show you all how easily the human mind can break under certain circumstances just like what happened to Alexi who had it up to here with the Solarii Brotherhood but when they kill Roth, his mind is truly going to be at the end of the thread.
> 
> Just like Carrie White said. "Why couldn't you leave me alone?"

Hour VIII

Alexander entered the cavern cautiously as he made his way in deeper but readied his bow when there were voices lingering in the cavern when he got closer and closer to them.

Peering around the corner he spotted Izumi tied to a pyre by her hands behind her back and a cloth wrapped around her mouth and was prepared to be baptised by fire.

In the process of being burned to death, a body experiences burns to exposed tissue, changes in content and distribution of body fluid, fixation of tissue, and shrinkage {especially of the skin}. Internal organs may be shrunken due to fluid loss. Shrinkage and contraction of the muscles may cause joints to flex and the body to adopt the {boxer stance}, with the elbows and knees flexed and the fists clenched.

Shrinkage of the skin around the neck may be severe enough to strangle a victim.

Fluid shifts, especially in the skull and in the hollow organs of the abdomen, can cause pseudo-hemorrhages in the form of heat hematomas. The organic matter of the body may be consumed as fuel by a fire.

The cause of death is frequently determined by the respiratory tract, where edema or bleeding of mucous membranes and patchy or vesicular detachment of the mucosa may be indicative of inhalation of hot gases.

Complete cremation is only achieved under extreme circumstances.

The amount of pain experienced is greatest at the beginning of the burning process before the flame burns the nerves, after which the skin does not hurt.

Many victims die quickly from suffocation as hot gases damage the respiratory tract. Those who survive the burning frequently die within days as the lungs' alveoli fill with fluid and the victim dies of pulmonary edema.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Before one of them could even think about lighting the timber an arrow got him in the heart but before the brunette could load another one he got attacked.

"You killed our brother and now I'm gonna kill you!"

He was kicked and punched so viciously that he didn't have a chance to fight back, fucking bastards are enjoying hearing him scream out in pain. "Enough! Dimitri, Nikolai, bring him to me."

Dimitri took his bow and arrows before the pair dragged poor Alexi across the ground by his arms like a wounded animal. Blood trickled down his lower lip that was busted open while dark purple and black bruises were forming on his arms and from underneath his outfit with even more blood moving down his temple to the side of his face before leaving a red spot on his dust-caked shirt.

Mathias, with a rough hand, forced Alexander's head up so they can see each other eye to eye; how can one man carry so much hatred in his own heart?

"Every creature in nature will turn and fight when it's survival is at stake so don't think I don't understand you boy."

He wanted to spit so badly in his face but the only thing that Alexander was worried about is Izumi who silently pleaded for him to save her, his eyes shimmered as they both knew that there was nothing that he can do as Mathias threw the torch in the pile of wood, skulls and dried grass.

"Just… Just look at me okay? Just look at me."

Alexander won't let them see or hear him cry.

Maybe Empress Himiko isn't that bad because just as the flames were licking Izumi's feet strong winds combined with water to distinguish the fire and as the Solarii rejoiced Mathias ordered for the girl to be taken to the throne room while telling both Dimitri and Nikolai to {dispose} of Alexander, they forced him to his feet and took him away.

They made it to a rock bridge but he wanted to get his bow back. He pretended to be weak in the knees and as soon as Dimitri was in front of him Alexi punched him in his jewels then punched Nikolai in the gut and took his weapon back except for the arrows.

Being cornered and seeing no other escape except for the large deep pool of blood beneath them he jumped.

_**I can't see the body. Do you think he survived?** _

_**I… If he did then the prisoners will get to him sooner or later, let's just… go. Fuck, he has a strong hook!** _

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Dark blood. That's all that he can see, smell and taste as he slowly raised half of his head out of the pool like some infernal demon from Hell. Looking up Alexander tilted his head to the side with wide enraged eyes and a thirst for blood when those two men were gone well, he'll find them and butcher them like pigs.

The old Alexander is gone and the new Alexander is baptised by violence.

Looking for a way out he waged through the blood until he stepped on dry land again. Every inch of him is covered in blood and the brunette did not need to see himself in a mirror to know this because it feels cold.

Green gas spewed from an open valve with the only way out of here, holding his breath he ran through it and safely came through to the other side.

Breathing again he crouched down to observe the scene. A clearly frightened survivor of the Endurance was pushed into the pit by a Solarii member who mocked him while locking the metal door so he couldn't get out but gave him a mercy killing just as he became swamped by prisoners who tore him apart but at least he won't feel any pain.

Not wanting to waste anymore arrows Alexi focused on getting the door open, turning another valve more of that gas. Backing up he lit a fire arrow and blew the entire framing open however, it also made the caverns shake and rumble in response to the blast.

Crouching down low again he hid from the Solarii and tore their heads clean off with his blade one by one but this time he felt... nothing.

Climbing up the rock wall he lit one more arrow when his ears caught chanting and singing to new members who have made it out of the pit who are strong of body, weak of will. Making sure that he has a good vantage point the brunette let the flaming arrow hit the gas and cause a huge explosion that killed the new recruits while making the place shake and rumble again.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Running through the passageways he dodged the explosions that were bringing this _part_ of the caverns down; the floor crumbled beneath his feet and right into a chamber filled with gases that stung his eyes so he had to use his other senses instead.

Finding a crack in the wall Alexander quickly climbed through it and into a safer place. Well, safe as it can be with three men guarding Jonah who was held hostage in a cage suspended high in the air so he can't escape but yours truly will find a way to get the man down.

Wanting to try something different Alexander wrapped the wire around one of the men's ankles and moved to the left and because the wire is so tough it sliced the remaining opponents ankles off straight through the bone. Blood squirted out of their wounds while they crawled away to try to get away from Alexander but it was futile when they died just as fast.

As soon as Jonah made eye contact with Alexander he knew right then that he had changed by the look in his brown eyes, his body language, his mind and even his soul even if he can't read it.

They spoke while Alexander destroyed the right counterweight then made his way up on the roof of the cage while this place was becoming unstable, when destroying the other counterweight the shakes and booms made the brunette lose his footing and he would have fallen into the boiling lava pond if it wasn't for the big lug grabbing ahold of his arm just in time.

"Thanks Jonah!"

The blood is still fresh despite it hardening on Alexander's skin Jonah rubbed it away on his shorts and clinged to the bared wall for dear life as the cage floor was lost beneath his feet. Jumping over to the other side the brunette opened two red valves and quickly backed up then with a well placed fire arrow it knocked the cage towards a platform that showed daylight on the other end of it.

"I'm going in to get Izumi!"

"Good luck! Be safe. Alexander!"

Going their separate ways again; Alexi jumped towards the bars of a yellow cage with sweat dripping off his bloody face thanks to the heat then carefully leaped over to another one.

Steading his sweaty palms he did a running jump to a safe platform that showed what he hoped is the way out of this place.

The loud explosions made his ears ring so loud that he couldn't hear the conversation that Roth and Jonah were having.

The black smoke got so bad that he almost burned his fingers when he tried to reach for the door but banged on it with a closed fist in anger when realizing that it's locked. Taking out his axe Alexander smashed the lock off and stepped inside of the Solarii Fortress.

Where Izumi is waiting to be rescued.


	9. Chapter 9

Hour X

Alexander twisted silencers to both of his guns and re-holstered one of them to make it easier as he stealthy made his way through the thick and dark forest, taking out each and everyone of these bastards.

He switched between the blade, guns and bow before stopping to rest at a campsite to try to get a hold of Jonah but all he got was static.

'Damn! I should have gone with them!'

Taking the fruit out of his backpack he was going to eat it but now there all bruised so Alexander threw them away and had to hunt again, luckily a few freshly killed wolves weren't too far away from the camp. Cooking the meat Alexi blew the steam away before taking a bite.

It was bland but having nothing to eat for the last 24 hours it tasted divine.

_**I was on a crew that was sent into the monastery. We saw a lot of dead soldiers up there.** _

_**No shit? You see any Oni?** _

_**Yeah I… look, I don't want to talk about it.** _

_**Seriously brother what did you see?** _

_**Look whatever they are… whatever they're doing up there it's some dark shit alright. I'm not going back even if Father Mathias orders me.** _

_**Damn.** _

'Hmpf, sounds like they're _afraid_!'

Alexander quietly laughed to himself at the thought of it then killed them just like the others before heading inside the entrance and over a wooden bridge, the sounds of rushing water brought a sense of calmness to the brunette as he moved along.

Going further inside of the cave there was to his surprise eight wolves that were left in cages.

They must be breeding them.

Not wanting to get bit he left them alone; Alexander looked around the room and as well as noticing bones there was also a yellow ladder and a deer carcass with rope wrapped around it's stomach and tied upside down by it's back legs and of course a rock wall that leads even deeper into the cave.

Climbing the ladder to the top Alexander shot a rope arrow then pulled it which triggered a pole to set into place and jumped towards it before hooking onto the wall then climbed up. Cracking open a crate of salvage he pocketed them and lit a torch to find his way through the darkness but lost his footing and slid down a slop and he almost went over the edge!

Regaining his grip, he moved to the right a couple times before pulling himself up into a crouched position when the ceiling became low.

Following the sounds of the waters the brunette found an opening that led outside and fresh air. Discarding the torch in his hand along the way he let the strong morning sun shine down on his face and breathed in the air.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Sliding down a rope bridge he was finally able to talk to Jonah.

"We just got to the beach, there's a boat that we can use but it's in pretty bad shape. Without the right tools I might have trouble getting it up and running."

"See what you can do; I'm on my way down."

Carefully moving along another bridge made of rope Alexi can see the raiments of the ShantyTown and gondolas that can transport him down faster and going down he did.

Once the fog cleared an old large ship came into his view.

Landing on another tower Alexander picked up ammo for his guns but hated the quiet because the Solarii would have attacked him regardless. Using another rope bridge he landed on the ship and just as he suspected they were going to attack him.

Taking aim at a red bomb, it took out some of them but more kept on coming so he picked them off one by one then reloaded his guns when they were still sliding towards him then switched for his bow to take out more but what Alexander was expecting was for one of them to take control of a turret gun and start shooting it at him!

Alex quickly fell on his stomach while the bastard took out the cables holding the entire thing together while the brunette held onto it as it went on it's side however he lost his grip just as fast and landed on the railing then held onto that when another member fall onto it; fucking bastard is crazy!

He sprinted down a walk-way, jumped and grabbed onto a bar while more cables were shot so he let go this time and tried to reach a safer place.

Spotting a series of ropes Alexander kept on sliding down onto them until he landed into water where the waterfall guided him to a pool that finally cleaned up the blood, scoot, dirt and gore.

And dare he say fun?

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Gasping for air Alex popped his head out of the water and stood on beige-colored sand then just made it through a small crevice and smiled a little bit when he finally made it at the beach. Making his way down he followed the sounds of the boat trying to start and opened his arms when Izumi ran over to him in a hug that even Jonah joined in.

"It's good to see you Little Crow,"

"You to Jonah, oh, Izumi I have something for you but it's just petals now."

Her eyes opened wide all the same at the gift that he gave her and it made him happy in this dark situation that they were all in at the moment, she smiled so big and jumped up and down then showed it to Jonah who already saw but pretended that he didn't. "Thank you Onii-san! They're beautiful!"

"I'm happy that you like them."

Once the mushy stuff was over Alexander helped both of them to try to pull the hoist but it wouldn't budge so they had to think of another way.

A block and tackle might work.

"There might be some on that rigging we can use. I'll check it out."

Stepping out of the boat the brunette went to the large abandoned Portuguese ship that reminded him of Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Hooking onto a wall he climbed to the right, jumped and grabbed onto part of the ship before going inside with Solarii members as well.

Lovely.

_**Who the fuck are they? Sounds like they got guns!** _

_**I don't know… let me think.** _

_**Radio's been dead for hours, we're cut off, brother what… what the hell are we gonna do?** _

_**Goddamn it, shut up for a second! Let me think! Something's going on, you saw the smoke coming from the mountain.** _

_**Yeah but that could mean anything.** _

_**We'll go in at nightfall.** _

_**Wait, you think that's a good idea? Maybe we should just wait here for the next shift.** _

_**We'll be waiting a long goddamned time. Something's wrong brother. Get your shit ready. We leave at sundown.** _

Taking out an arrow, he killed one of them then the other one before they had a chance to find out what's happening and then jumped to the other side of the ship. Moving silently, Alexander took out one gun then pointed it at the thugs head before pulling the trigger and heard his lifeless body crash into the sea where no doubt he'll become fish food.

Shooting down the pulley he grabbed the items that he needed and placed them inside of his backpack then rode down a rope bridge that took him towards safer waters and made his way to shore to give them to Jonah who worked on the boat right away while Izumi and Alexander sat next to each other over a warm fire.

"Onii-san?"

"Hmm?"

She asked him a question that shocked him so much he couldn't answer it right away. "Are you happy?"

"Of course I'm happy… well… I'm happy that you and Jonah are safe and sound but I miss Roth too."

She leaned her head onto him when he wrapped an arm around her and closed her eyes as they both listened to the calming crackling of the fire. "I miss Roth too but I know that he's watching over us in the sky."

He smiled sincerely at those words.

'What would I ever do without a little sister like you?'


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you just read Izumi was the one who gave Alexander his new bow and ascender but how she got them we'll never know but I gave him the very last one the black one because the one that Jonah gives Lara on the Shipwreck Beach in the video game is ugly.
> 
> Just so you know ahead of time my Dear Readers in Rise there will be a gay relationship that I had invisioned for a little while now and maybe it'll be my new favorite thing.
> 
> Here are the translations:
> 
> Gomenasai, demo sore ga hitsuyō: Sorry but I need it or {I have to use it}.

Hour XI

There are ruins beneath that old base in the cliffs and something in there led them to believe they could control the storms.

Alexander is determined to find out what they discovered.

"Onii-san?"

"Izumi…" The brunette said while they were in front of a metal gate that's too heavy to move on his own. "You're not supposed to follow me!"

He spoke to the girl in a scolding manner since they all don't know when these Solarii brothers will make their next move.

"Sorry, but Jonah wanted me to give you these."

She handed him a black high-tech compound bow with a skeletal designed frame and a rope ascender that will no doubt work like a power winch, taking them he gave her a smile. "Thank you Izumi!"

"Be careful."

Shooting a rope arrow into the gate he used the ascender to bust it open then used the axe to turn the crank so the lift can come down. He let out a cough when some of the dust got inside of his mouth. Climbing up to the top Alexi rolled his neck to work out the kinks then continued to work his way up even better.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

_**What the hell are we doing here? There's fucking Oni in that tomb!** _

_**Calm down, we got orders from the man. No one goes in or out.** _

The brunette rolled his eyes once more because the Solarii are nothing more than big babies… well. These ones at least.

_**They'll kill anything that sets foot in there.** _

The man with him let out a laugh.

_**You been listening to the O.M.S crew?** _

_**Yeah… they said some guys went in there on a salvage job and never came out!** _

_**The're fucking with you, brother. Those bozos like to make shit up, don't believe any of it.** _

Alexander shot both of them at the same time with his pistols and quickly realized that trips to the shooting range with Roth were worth it.

Maneuvering the rock walls, he pulled himself up on the ledge and used the ascander to pull the barrier away on the other side then jumped over to it and inside of the base. Looking down he can see a rock wall, water, fallen debris, skulls and soft orange-colored light flickering down below as well.

Hooking onto the rock Alexander made his way down and into the water where he shivered violently immediately for how freezing it is, quickly wading through it he ate some fruit that were on the ground but still fresh and not bruised at all before climbing another rock wall and squeezed through a hole in the wall.

But when he quietly climbed down to more safer ground he overheard two men talking about himself of course. Peering through the open door Alexander spotted back to back and so had to take them out fast. Once they were taken care of the brunette pushed a green button that opened the large metal door beside the control panel and took a moment to look around the well-lit area.

"Hmm... the tomb must be in the lower levels."

Alexander said to himself but unfortunately when he tried to open the door at the bottom of the stairs it won't budge and the lift has seen better days so he has to do a bit of tinkering.

Pressing the elevator button it lowered just enough to where the first gear is exposed and climbed up on the crate to the side then used the axe to pry it off, hoping up on the lift Alexander crossed over to the back right corner and climbed through the rectangular-shaped opening before dropping down into the other side.

One.

Two.

Three.

X marks the spot.

Taking cover behind blue-colored barrels Alexi lit a fire arrow, pulled back the string while aiming at an explosive barrel and watched as it killed the thug's stationed there; after looting their bodies took a quick moment to write into his diary then pushed another green lit button that revealed the heart of this place.

"Wooow…!"

Alexander exclaimed in childlike wonder with the same look in his brown eyes at this amazing place and just took a moment to take it all in before walking up the stone stairs towards the dais and closely examined the long dead General. "Gomenasai, demo sore ga hitsuyō."

When he took out the katana the craftsmanship was still there and still sharp to, lucky him eh? Looking at the painted murals Alexander saw the General and his men protecting their Empress while their horses rode on the clouds themselves but that can't be all that's here.

Tapping on the hilt of the katana in random spots he found a secret compartment which held a hidden scroll inside; strapping the sword to his hip the brunette unfolded the scroll and read the ancient Kenji.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

"I have failed my Empress, the ritual was corrupted. The Priestess knew only death could save her and took her own life."

'How awful.' The brunette thought while slowly pacing about the floor and kept reading.

"Now the first and the last Empress lives a half-life, a soul in a decaying body. Her rage became the storms and would not stop while her soul is tied to this earth. My Stormguard are sworn to protect her, they must continue but I cannot."

Stopping in his tracks Alexi put the scroll safely away then took out the map that he got earlier to closely find the location for the Ritual Chamber but how is he going to convince the others on going there?

As soon as he put the map away the enemy made itself known by caving in the only way out of here or is it?

He took care of thugs up on the platform first since they have a higher advantage point then he does, then decided to use his new weapon on a few unlucky souls who were blocking the new entrance.

Pulling himself up onto the platform Alexander stayed away from the flames while moving onwards only to slip down a mudslide and thankfully hooked onto the rock wall on the opposite side; as he climbed to the top Jonah came through the walkie-talkie panting and frantic while gunfire can be heard in the background.

"Alexander! Where the hell are you?!"

"Oh, no! What's happening!?"

"We're under attack and we need help…!"

The talkie produced static now, wonderful.

Distinguishing the lighter just as he came out of entrance Alex spotted an arrow post, knowing the routine he shot a rope arrow and slid down the rope bridge but unholstered one of his guns when he heard two soldiers talking.

_**We shouldn't be here.** _

_**No shit but we got no choice.** _

_**Those Outsiders holed up on the beach, why aren't we going there?** _

_**Father Mathias doesn't want anyone poking around this old base.** _

Hmm… interesting. Very, _very_ interesting.

_**But what about the Oni?** _

_**Calm down! We should be okay out here.** _

The brunette smirked at those words. 'Oh, how wrong they are!'

_**Once we find the man and kill him, we'll join the others and attack the beach.** _

Sneaking up on top of one; Alexander put a bullet to his head then plunged his sword into the thug's back, cutting the spine and thereby killing him instantly.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

"Jonah, you're hurt!"

Using the last bit of bandages and gauze that he had left the brunette helped Jonah to his feet but what the man said next made Alexander's blood boil. "During the attack they took Izumi and they just disappeared! I-I tried to kill as many of them as I could but…"

"It's not your fault Jonah… They've taken her back to Mathias, fuck!"

Inlet, they need to use the inlet to get closer.

"Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you all again my Dear Readers for reading and favoriting this story and it means so much to me you guys don't even know right now!
> 
> Yes, I will be doing Rise but that won't get started until next year because I have some… other plans to work on first so please be patient.
> 
> And have a happy Thanksgiving!

Hour XII - The Final Hour

There were soldiers mounted on top of a partly destroyed ship with red flammable barrels scattered in various places and they of course were trying to kill Alexander and Jonah.

"Alexander, use that turret we got to protect the boat!"

The brunette smirked. Now this is what he lives for.

'My turn Shitheads!'

Taking aim at both the barrels and thugs together they picked off wave after wave of enemies while the ship that they were on was engulfed in flames that burned to death the rest of them. The partly covered sun came out and led the way to the pairs destination while Alexander explained to what he was hoping to find up there besides saving Izumi; pulling back the glocks of his twin pistols he made sure that all of his weapons were ready for the assault.

"Little Sparrow, this isn't goodbye, I'm not saying goodbye."

Trying not to get choked up they gave each other a hug before going their separate ways.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Climbing to the top, there was an archer's post and a rock wall on the other side of the deep chasm; wrapping more rope around one of his arrows Alexander shot it at the wall before hooking it to the archer's post then used the ascender to get to that side quickly. Moving through the tunnel he army-crawled over to a place where he won't be spotted and saw Izumi as well as Mathias.

Instead of her normal clothes she was wearing a makeshift dress made of a white sail but the brunette got extremely pissed off when he realized that Izumi must have taken her stuff off in front of grown ass men! 'Those fucking pedophile shits!'

He quickly came out of his hiding spot and pointed both of his pistols at Mathias but Alexander can't shoot unless he was willing to injure Izumi and that's something he will never ever do so he chased after them instead however halted his steps just in time when the bridge that they just traveled on was blown away by a strong gust of wind.

Cutting them off.

"NO! IZUMI, IZUMI!"

"ONII SAN, ONII SAN!"

Alexander cursed up a storm while turning his back on the now non-existent pathway; Alexander promised to himself that he was going to cut off Mathias' balls and cock when he finally gets his hands on him. Putting the pistols safely away, Alex set his eyes on another archer's post and that all too familiar wall and used it.

Maneuvering around it to the top he ignored the tied down skeleton and scrambled up to an opening in the wall then hopped down inside of the monastery.

There were a few Oni war crying from somewhere so it's best to be careful.

One passage was blocked with a black gate and fallen rocks so he found another one only to hide behind something when four Stormguards were in the hallway and waited until they left before doing anything else.

He cautiously walked past the door from where they left and used the fire striker to quickly light a torch and burn the cloth barrier up ahead that blocked a passage behind it. Once the barrier burned away Alexander extinguished the torch because he heard heavy footsteps walking through the large ceremonial hall… a whole bunch of them.

"Take it slow Onii San, you can do it."

The brunette smiled because he knows that Izumi would say the exact same thing and used that to his advantage as he walked across a narrow beam over the parading soldiers and moved close to the wall before jumping and grabbing onto a long, horizontal ledge that runs from where he was to the northwest corner of the great hall.

There were Oni below him and above him as he moved along the ledge then jumped over to another one but skulls and bones fell to where the big one is who alerted the others while Alexander frantically tried to get to safety only to find a flaming arrow embedded right next to him.

Sprinting away from some more he felt the floorboards beneath him heating up with everything else exploding around him and he was not expecting to fall into a mudslide either! He rolled and tumbled on the dirty ground but otherwise okay and safe… _maybe_ on the safe part.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Holding the blade so tightly that his knuckles turned white, Alexi heard three Oni running towards him and quickly scrambled to his feet to attack them.

It was like a beautiful Ancient Japanese dance from so long ago that only Alexander came out of alive.

As soon as he opened the locked red door sand that was being pushed by the strong winds got into his eyes that stung them and into his open mouth, making him choke as well as cough. Shielding himself with an arm the brunette moved through the storm and called out to Izumi who was being pulled to someplace by Mathias but it was obvious that he can't be heard.

Gun fire filled Alexander's ears no doubt by Jonah who was killing some people already; countless corpses were hung on spikes and the smell of rotting flesh was very unpleasant.

Starting across the large wooden bridge, the fierce winds blew Alexander off the structure but thankfully he landed more or less safely on the sandy ledge below and as he stumbled to his feet a fire arrow nearly missed his skull again! Looking towards the horizon Alex could see a whole horde of undead Stormguards and that same huge one burst through the monastery doors, wood splinters were carried away in the air as the mighty beast let out a roar that reached the heavens before pointing at the enemy.

Getting to his feet Alexander showed no fear.

"Alright you Gits, let's see what you've got!"

He will make it through this, he has too.

Slice and dice.

"They just won't quit!"

Just when the brunette thought that he was okay that beast showed up; ready to crush the tiny human but fate saved him once more as he dug his axe into the floor while strong wind blew large pieces of wood towards the monster until he fell into nothingness however something told our hero that they'll meet up later.

Going inside of the shrine there was a puzzle that he had to complete if he wanted to move on.

There were two cranks; one for the metal grate and one for the large metal cage hanging by a sturdy metal chain.

Using the left crank he managed to pull the cage out of the pit and thick ropes of white rope was tied around the edge of it, climbing up to the upper levels Alexi used the ascender to swing the cage back and hit the rocks that were covering the only way into Himiko's Shrine.

Heading back down he used the other crank to close the grate then the cage one again to lower it before heading upwards once more to use the cage.

He had to admit the solid gold statues of the past Sun Empresses were beautiful despite their dark pasts.

Taking out his diary he drew a rough sketch of the pictures on the floor before heading inside of a long winding tunnel that was lit by red candles which warmed him up enough for what was to come next.

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Opening the wooden doors the world outside felt icy cold as he crossed over a bridge and took out his katana when he and Mathias met face to face once again.

But the only question on his mind was. Why?

"Do you think you're the hero, Alexander? Everything I've done I did to survive. How many lives have you taken to do the same?"

That… was nothing but the truth, the brunette did take so many lives just to make sure that Jonah and Izumi were safe and sound but now the deed is done and Alexander at least tried to see reason with him by saying.

"Himiko's dangerous, Mathias, she's angry. She's vengeful and she has real power!"

Well at least he tried.

"A mere mortal for an Empress? A good trade for our freedom I'd say."

A bolt of lightning struck a piece of debris that brung up a wall of fire.

Can't walk through it, gotta find another way around.

Working his way up the Ziggurat was challenging in and of itself but when Jonah came over the line he warned him that those soldiers will be coming his way and he was worried that he might not make it back however the man on the other line told him that he wasn't going to leave them behind.

Climbing up the ice encrusted wall, the winds and lightning were so strong it seemed that Himiko was doing everything in her power to stop Alexander from saving Izumi but he's come too far to give up now and will succeed.

The brunette saw both Izumi with her hands tied behind her back and Mathias who was speaking to the decaying Empress.

"Oh, great Empress, through the trials I have brought you the Vessel. Pour forth and return to this mortal coil. Pour forth and be reborn. Pour forth and _Awakan_!"

The decaying Empress came back to life with her face breaking apart like a porcelain doll and let out a loud, blood-curdling scream as blue energy emerged from her body and surrounded the area like a shield while she was sucking the life force from his baby sister.

When Alex tried to shoot through it the bullets bounced off.

_**The ritual has begun! Defend Mathias!** _

_**For the Empress!** _

_**The Empress rises, protect her!** _

_**Protect the ritual!** _

_**For the Sun Empress!** _

Alexander killed them but this time he felt… nothing since the only thing on his mind was helping Izumi.

_**Stop him, the ritual is almost complete!** _

_**Goddamn it, keep him back!** _

"You won't stop me so get the FUCK out of MY WAY!"

Another bolt of lightning created a path that brought him closer to ritual, leap-frogging over a beam of rock then to solid ground and just like the brunette predicted him and the big one faced off.

Dodging his attacks Alexander found out his back was exposed and shot at it which made the monster get down on one knee; taking out his axe he smashed his helmet off then moved back as he got back up and repeated it until Alexander kept on smashing his skull in and crimson blood decorated the fresh fallen snow.

The brunette run over another bridge that got destroyed with every step that he took and quickly loaded up an arrow but Mathias shot the bow out his hand and punched him in the face hard enough that Alexander spat out blood; he stabbed the older man's shoulder but that only made them tussle on the ground as he tried to snap his neck with the handle of the axe.

Alex struggled hard until there was an opening, grabbing one gun he shot the mad man in the other shoulder which made him holler in pain and step backwards away from him.

This is it.

Aiming both dual pistols Alexander continuously placed bullets inside of Mathias' body until both guns emptied and the man's screams were echoing for a few minutes.

Going over to where Mathias fell Alex spat down into the dark abyss.

Just as a final fuck you.

Getting onto the pedestal Alexander took a look at Izumi then back at the screaming Empress with hot burning anger in his eyes and took out his sword then with a yell punctured the Empress's heart before backing up as she became gone for good.

Yamatai and the world is safe. At least for one day.

Alexander got on his knees in front of Izumi who was lying on her side and gently cradled her in his arms while the sun touched the island once more.

Tears of joy ran down the girl's face as she buried her body into the man's chest who soothed her worries and whispered that nothing can hurt her anymore.

Looking up at the sapphire skies he smiled up at heaven.

'Mum, we did it! We did it mum!'

≿—- ❈ —-≾

Jonah felt relief wash over him when the skies were a lovely shade of blue but he let his happiness take over when Alexander was coming down the mountain holding a sleeping Izumi in his arms.

"She's okay, just sleepy."

Now they can go home.

Alexander just smiled and said. "But I'm not going home."


End file.
